{"id":142317,"date":"2022-05-20T02:18:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T07:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=142317"},"modified":"2022-08-24T08:54:58","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T13:54:58","slug":"branded-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/","title":{"rendered":"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Most SEO advice talks about optimizing for keywords that don\u2019t mention your brand because that is how you can attract complete strangers to your business. But what about search queries that do mention your&nbsp;brand?<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In other words, what about attracting people who are exactly searching for your business? Naturally, you can optimize your website for these kinds of queries too. In this guide, I\u2019ll explain how to do that. We\u2019ll cover the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#1-difference-between-branded-and-nonbranded-search\">Difference between branded and non-branded search<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2-optimize-for-nonbranded-search\">Why optimize for non-branded search<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3-optimize-for-branded-search\">Why optimize for branded search<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4-how-optimize-for-branded-search\">How to optimize for branded search<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Difference between branded and non-branded search\" data-section=\"1-difference-between-branded-and-nonbranded-search\">\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.8z7pqjldcgpy\">Difference between branded search and non-branded search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The difference between branded and non-branded search is that a branded search contains your company, service, or product name, whereas a non-branded search doesn\u2019t. This applies to both organic results and search ads.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142303\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-difference-between-branded-and-non-branded-searches.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic on difference between branded and non-branded searches\" width=\"520.65\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-difference-between-branded-and-non-branded-searches.jpg 1157w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-difference-between-branded-and-non-branded-searches-307x425.jpg 307w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-difference-between-branded-and-non-branded-searches-768x1062.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-difference-between-branded-and-non-branded-searches-1111x1536.jpg 1111w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1157px) 100vw, 1157px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why optimize for non-branded search\" data-section=\"2-optimize-for-nonbranded-search\">\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.9lkcxy7nmpwc\">Why optimize for non-branded search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ranking for non-branded keywords allows you to attract people who are searching for products or services related to your business <strong>but may not necessarily know your brand<\/strong>. Hence, this is a great way to attract new customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-non-branded-keywords-example.jpg\" alt=\"Organic keywords report results for Ahrefs' article on SEO checklist\" width=\"1600\" height=\"849\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our blog article about our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-checklist\/\">SEO checklist<\/a>&nbsp;attracts searchers who don\u2019t necessarily know our product. Data via Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>We have an <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\">entire SEO course<\/a>&nbsp;that focuses on optimizing for non-branded keywords. So in this article, we\u2019re going to focus on SEO for branded search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why optimize for branded search\" data-section=\"3-optimize-for-branded-search\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.1qijvwjlz6ym\">Why optimize for branded search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Ranking for branded keywords allows you to attract people who are <strong>specifically searching for information about your company<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They already know your brand but want to learn more about what you do. For example, they may be looking for reviews, comparisons with other brands, or specific information like technical data or media assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So with branded search, depending on the query\u2019s intent, you\u2019re targeting people who&nbsp;are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Close to buying <\/strong><strong>from you<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;People may be looking up your brand specifically or searching for comparisons between you and your competition. You can address any objections, answer questions, or reassure them you are the right choice.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your current customers<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Keeping your current customers informed is a straight path to keeping them&nbsp;happy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The press<\/strong> \u2013 The aim here is to be the #1 source of information.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><strong>Brand fans and other people simply interested in what you do<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-branded-keywords-example.jpg\" alt=\"Organic keywords report results for Ahrefs' &quot;versus&quot; page\" width=\"1600\" height=\"849\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Our <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/vs\">landing page<\/a>&nbsp;comparing our product to the competition attracts searchers who Google queries containing our brand name and \u201cvs.\u201d Data via Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to optimize for branded search\" data-section=\"4-how-optimize-for-branded-search\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.r9i83jx3ihow\">How to optimize for branded search<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>There are basically four steps in this process. For the purpose of this guide, I\u2019m going to use fintech company Revolut as an example (but this can be any company).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.7h95z81plfm6\">1. Find keywords related to your brand, company, or product<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You need to create two lists of keywords to have a complete overview of your branded search landscape:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Find keywords you rank&nbsp;for&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Find keywords you <\/strong><em><strong>don\u2019t<\/strong><\/em><strong>&nbsp;rank for&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>One thing to keep in mind here is that everything we\u2019re going to do in this guide is country-specific. You will need to repeat the process for every country whose keywords you want to rank&nbsp;for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.a9vurvx1fsrb\">Find keywords you rank&nbsp;for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When you have an SEO tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\">Ahrefs<\/a>, finding keywords you rank for is a piece of cake. All you need to do is plug in your domain, go to the <strong>Organic keywords<\/strong>&nbsp;report, and type in words\/phrases denoting your brand or products in the filters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-organic-keywords-report.png\" alt=\"Organic keywords report results (with filters applied) for Revolut's site \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Tip: Don\u2019t bother about misspellings of keywords. Google\u2019s algorithms will likely take care of that with the correct spellings once you create content that ranks for those keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-google-handles-misspelling.png\" alt=\"Misspelling of &quot;revolut&quot; as &quot;re volut&quot;; Google autocorrects term and indicates it'll show results for the name with the correct spelling\" width=\"1600\" height=\"418\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Export that list of keywords and import it into a spreadsheet editor. I\u2019ll be using Google Sheets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-branded-keywords-export.png\" alt=\"Google Sheet containing exported Organic keywords report results\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>And this concludes our first list. Now on to the next&nbsp;one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.9b9imi2v3nkt\">Find keywords you don\u2019t rank&nbsp;for<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>To create a list of keywords you don\u2019t rank for, you need to combine and compare two lists: the list of branded keywords that you rank for (it\u2019s what we just created) and a list of all branded keywords for your company. This is what we\u2019ll&nbsp;do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In your keyword tool\u2014I\u2019ll use Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a>\u2014plug in the same branded keywords you used for the first list, choose the same country as before, and hit \u201cEnter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-keywords-explorer.png\" alt=\"Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer tool\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Then go to the <strong>Matching terms<\/strong>&nbsp;report. You will get a list of <em>all <\/em>branded keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-matching-terms-report.png\" alt=\"Matching terms report results for &quot;revolut&quot;\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Now we need to compare keywords <em>you rank for<\/em>&nbsp;with <em>all<\/em>&nbsp;keywords in order to get branded keywords you don\u2019t rank for. So do the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Export the&nbsp;list<\/li>\n<li>Import the list to a new sheet in the same spreadsheet as the first&nbsp;list<\/li>\n<li>Create an additional column in that newly imported list and name the column \u201cDo we&nbsp;rank?\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Insert this array formula into the first cell of that column: <code>=ArrayFormula(COUNTIF(Ranking!A2:A, B2:B)=1)<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Where \u201cRanking\u201d is the name of the sheet with keywords you rank for and the cell ranges are the column with your keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This formula will automatically populate the entire column with \u201ctrue\u201d if you already rank for a given keyword and \u201cfalse\u201d if you don\u2019t. Chances are you won\u2019t get too many \u201cfalses\u201d here, but the thing is you never know until you&nbsp;check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This way, we\u2019ve created the two keyword lists we need for this process. Now let\u2019s see how we can use&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.vgpq3ojdn5rx\">2. Pick keywords worth targeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how we\u2019re going to categorize branded keywords worth targeting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Underperforming keywords<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Because if you improve their rankings, you can get more traffic from the SERPs (search engine results pages)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pages with mismatched intent<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Because mismatched search intent doesn\u2019t give people what they came&nbsp;for<\/li>\n<li><strong>Valuable new keywords<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;Because you can get more traffic by targeting new keywords<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.hrwg3bhe3tuc\">Underperforming keywords<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Underperforming branded keywords are basically keywords that don\u2019t rank #1. How far from #1? It depends on the search query and the competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you think there\u2019s a reasonable chance of a keyword ranking higher than the current position, you should try it. Generally speaking, for some queries, ranking in the top three is a success. But for those with really fierce competition (like search queries used for comparisons), ranking in the top 10 is a success.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so open the first list, click on the \u201cCurrent position\u201d column, and sort from Z to A. Anything here that doesn\u2019t rank #1 is your opportunity. Look at each keyword. If it\u2019s something you can potentially create better content about, mark&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"width: 1610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-example-underperforming-keyword.png\" alt=\"Example of in-cell dropdown list\" width=\"1600\" height=\"285\"><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">A cool trick to use for marking your keywords is to create an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/docs\/answer\/186103?hl=en&amp;co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop\">in-cell dropdown list<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, look at the \u201cVolume\u201d column to determine if that keyword gets any search demand in the country you\u2019ve chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.w6me7tfnx92o\">Pages with mismatched intent<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Now let\u2019s choose keywords for the second category: mismatched intent. Since you\u2019ve already gone through keywords that don\u2019t rank #1, it\u2019s time to take a closer look at those ranking #1. If you want to play on the safer side, you can extend your search to the top three or even the top&nbsp;10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example of a page with mismatched search intent. People looking for Revolut\u2019s logo probably want an official, high-quality image that\u2019s downloadable. But Revolut doesn\u2019t offer that on the pages that rank #1 for this query in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-revolut-logo-serp.png\" alt=\"Google SERP for &quot;revolut logo&quot;\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>So this keyword can be highlighted as \u201cmismatched intent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-revolut-logo-mismatched-intent.png\" alt=\"Cell in Google Sheet containing the category &quot;mismatched intent&quot;\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s move on to the last category: valuable new keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.etk85g2ovb7a\">New keywords<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For this, we\u2019re going to open the second sheet with all branded keywords. To show only those you don\u2019t rank for in the chosen country, filter the \u201cDo we rank?\u201d column to only show \u201cfalse\u201d results:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-filter-keyword-list.png\" alt=\"Filter options in Google Sheet\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Before we start to look at particular keywords, I suggest sorting them by search volume to get the most potentially valuable keywords first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we can see if any of these keywords catch our eye. Here\u2019s one: a comparison between Revolut and another fintech company:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-new-branded-keyword-example.png\" alt=\"Cell in Google Sheet showing &quot;revolut vs n26&quot;\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.bak10atz9oqr\">3. Optimize existing content or create something new&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now we need to give search engines something they can rank. That means either optimizing content on existing pages or creating new content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The list of keywords created in the previous step will tell us whether we need to do the first or the second. So:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Keywords marked as \u201cunderperforming\u201d or \u201cmismatched intent\u201d<\/strong>&nbsp;will need optimized content. For this, we\u2019ve got you covered. Here\u2019s a detailed guide on how to <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-optimization\/\">optimize your content for search engines<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>New keywords<\/strong>&nbsp;that you do not yet rank for will most likely need new content. I\u2019m saying \u201clikely\u201d because you may need to reconsider that, sometimes, it\u2019s better to include some topics on existing pages than have them be on separate pages. And here\u2019s a complete guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-content\/\">creating content designed to rank<\/a>&nbsp;in search engines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.1717omlc8avf\">4. Add internal links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The last step in our process of optimizing for branded search is adding internal links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apart from helping users to navigate your website, internal links play an important role in SEO. First of all, search engines use them for <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/googlebot\/\">discovering, (re)crawling, and indexing pages<\/a>. Moreover, they help Google understand what your page is about. And last but not least, they pass link equity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As this is quite a straightforward tip, I\u2019ll keep it short. There are essentially three places on your website where you may want to add internal links to content targeting branded keywords:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Site navigation<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;That means the top navigation and\/or footer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Important pages<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;If you want your content to be discovered easily and quickly, add links to it on pages that get the most traffic (like the homepage) or on the most relevant pages (like features).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pages where you mention the keywords<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;For example, if Revolut mentions \u201cbuying stocks with Revolut\u201d somewhere on its website, it can link to a blog post or a landing page dedicated to that&nbsp;topic.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Regarding the last point, you can streamline that process using Ahrefs (you can also do this for free using <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/webmaster-tools\">Ahrefs Webmaster Tools<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Go to Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-audit\">Site Audit<\/a>&nbsp;and open the <strong>Link opportunities<\/strong>&nbsp;report. In the advanced filter section, set a new filter with conditions: keyword context contains [your keyword or phrase]. This way, you can find relevant link opportunities for pages that haven\u2019t even been published yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-link-opportunities-report.png\" alt=\"Link opportunities report: advanced filter options above and report results at the bottom\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading: <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/prioritize-internal-linking\/\">Here\u2019s Why You Should Prioritize Internal Linking in 2022<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.rysczq802u16\">Final thoughts&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The more a company grows, the more roads will lead to the company through branded search (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1143368\/distribution-branded-search-volume-global-brands-smbs\/#:~:text=For%20global%20brands%2C%2058%20percent,fifths%20of%20search%20was%20unbranded.\">19% of searches for SMBs vs. 42% for global brands<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But no matter the company size, SERPs seem to play the role of a company\u2019s business card\u2014people ask search engines all sorts of questions, and what they find becomes what they know. Thus, it\u2019s good to own your branded queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, if you decide to optimize your website for branded search, it\u2019s important to know that the changes you make probably won\u2019t take effect overnight. Remember, SEO takes&nbsp;time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And if your SEO software comes with a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/best-rank-tracker\/\">rank tracker<\/a>, use it to save yourself some time and effort\u2014instead of <em>manually<\/em>&nbsp;checking your ranking progress, which can\u2019t be done accurately anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next step: You can take optimizing for branded search even further by taking advantage of <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/google-knowledge-graph\/\">Google\u2019s Knowledge Graph<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/m_makosiewicz\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; In other words, what about attracting people who are exactly searching for your business? Naturally, you can optimize your website for these kinds of queries too. In this guide, I\u2019ll explain how to do that. We\u2019ll cover the following:<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159,"featured_media":142319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[328],"tags":[],"coauthors":[412],"class_list":["post-142317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-keyword-research","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What&#039;s the Difference?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"SEO isn&#039;t always about attracting strangers to a site. Some look specifically for certain brands\/products. Here&#039;s how to prepare for that.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What&#039;s the Difference?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"SERPs are your business cards.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-20T07:18:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-24T13:54:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mateusz Makosiewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"SERPs are your business cards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@m_makosiewicz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ahrefs\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mateusz Makosiewicz\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c7e64c851ecc4eabb77eaefae90a440c\"},\"headline\":\"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What\u2019s the Difference?\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-20T07:18:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-24T13:54:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\"},\"wordCount\":1979,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Keyword Research\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\",\"name\":\"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What's the Difference?\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-20T07:18:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-24T13:54:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"SEO isn't always about attracting strangers to a site. Some look specifically for certain brands\/products. Here's how to prepare for that.\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"SEO Blog by Ahrefs\",\"description\":\"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Ahrefs\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":768,\"caption\":\"Ahrefs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/ahrefs\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ahrefs\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ahrefscom\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c7e64c851ecc4eabb77eaefae90a440c\",\"name\":\"Mateusz Makosiewicz\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/mateusz-makosiewicz.png8bf90d5a58159ff233b11073a8215049\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/mateusz-makosiewicz.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/mateusz-makosiewicz.png\",\"caption\":\"Mateusz Makosiewicz\"},\"description\":\"Marketing researcher and educator at Ahrefs. Mateusz has over 15 years of experience in marketing gained in agencies, SaaS and hardware businesses. When not writing, he's composing music or enjoying long walks.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mateusz-makosiewicz-38154b67\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/m_makosiewicz\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/mateusz-makosiewicz\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What's the Difference?","description":"SEO isn't always about attracting strangers to a site. Some look specifically for certain brands\/products. Here's how to prepare for that.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What's the Difference?","og_description":"SERPs are your business cards.","og_url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/","og_site_name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","article_published_time":"2022-05-20T07:18:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-24T13:54:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Mateusz Makosiewicz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"SERPs are your business cards.","twitter_creator":"@m_makosiewicz","twitter_site":"@ahrefs","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/"},"author":{"name":"Mateusz Makosiewicz","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c7e64c851ecc4eabb77eaefae90a440c"},"headline":"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What\u2019s the Difference?","datePublished":"2022-05-20T07:18:34+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-24T13:54:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/"},"wordCount":1979,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png","articleSection":["Keyword Research"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/","name":"Branded Search vs. Non-Branded Search: What's the Difference?","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png","datePublished":"2022-05-20T07:18:34+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-24T13:54:58+00:00","description":"SEO isn't always about attracting strangers to a site. Some look specifically for certain brands\/products. Here's how to prepare for that.","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/branded-search\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/fb_branded_search.png","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","name":"SEO Blog by Ahrefs","description":"Link Building Strategies &amp; SEO Tips","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Ahrefs","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ahrefs-logo.png","width":2048,"height":768,"caption":"Ahrefs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Ahrefs\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ahrefs","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/ahrefs\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/ahrefscom"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/c7e64c851ecc4eabb77eaefae90a440c","name":"Mateusz Makosiewicz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/mateusz-makosiewicz.png8bf90d5a58159ff233b11073a8215049","url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/mateusz-makosiewicz.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/mateusz-makosiewicz.png","caption":"Mateusz Makosiewicz"},"description":"Marketing researcher and educator at Ahrefs. Mateusz has over 15 years of experience in marketing gained in agencies, SaaS and hardware businesses. When not writing, he's composing music or enjoying long walks.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mateusz-makosiewicz-38154b67\/","https:\/\/x.com\/m_makosiewicz"],"url":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/author\/mateusz-makosiewicz\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142317"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=142317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}